Raisable load shelf for a luggage compartment of a motor vehicle

• US 8,256,815 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2009
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fiat Group Automobiles S.P.A. (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: Fiat Group Automobiles S.P.A. (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Tosco, Franco
• Primary Examiner(s): Dayoan, Glenn
• Assistant Examiner(s): ROMAIN, PINEL E
• Application Number:
  US12/615,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20100116763A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 296/24.45, 296/24.44, 296/26.06, 296/37.16, 296/37.18, 296/97.12, 296/24.3, 296/191, 296/190.11, 160/234, 224/504, 108/44, 108/141, 108/143, 108/138, 108/147.2
• US Class Current: 296/24.44
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 5/04 arranged at rear of vehicle B60R5/003, B60R5/006 take precedence; external trunks arranged at rear of vehicle B60R9/065

Abstract

A raisable load shelf for a luggage compartment of a motor vehicle is provided with a panel, which defines an upper surface on which items can be placed and is provided with a handle that a user can grasp to raise or maneuver the load shelf in the luggage compartment; the load shelf has at least two appendages, which are arranged along respective edges of the panel and are hinged to the panel about respective axes parallel to the edges to rotate downwards from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position in order to reduce a dimension of the load shelf; in the horizontal position, the appendages project horizontally with respect to the panel so as to rest, in use, on respective brackets of the luggage compartment.

Claims

1. A raisable load shelf for a luggage compartment of a motor vehicle, the load shelf comprising:

a panel defining an upper surface on which items can be placed; and

at least two support appendages arranged along respective edges of the panel, the support appendages hinged to the panel about respective axes disposed along the edges to rotate downwards from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position,

wherein in a raised panel position, with the support appendages in a horizontal position, an upper appendage surface of the appendages is substantially coplanar with the upper surface of the panel to rest on respective brackets of the luggage compartment.

2. The raisable load shelf of claim 1, wherein the support appendages are hinged to the panel about respective axes disposed along the edges to rotate downwards from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position in order to reduce a dimension of the load shelf.

3. The raisable load shelf according to claim 1, wherein the respective axes are parallel to the edges.

4. The raisable load shelf according to claim 1, comprising a hand grip portion coupled to the shelf that a user can grasp to maneuver the load shelf in the luggage compartment.

5. The raisable load shelf according to claim 4, wherein the hand grip portion is to raise the load shelf in the luggage compartment.

6. The raisable load shelf according to claim 4, wherein the hand grip portion comprises a handle provided on the panel and arranged at the center of gravity of the load shelf.

7. The raisable load shelf according to claim 4, wherein the hand grip portion comprises a handle provided on the panel and rotatable between a raised position and a lowered position with the handle, in the lowered position, being housed in a recess below the upper surface.

8. The raisable load shelf according to claim 1, comprising elastic members to maintain the appendages in the horizontal position.

9. A system comprising:

a plurality of brackets arranged on interior side panels of a vehicle and defining a plurality of levels; and

a raisable load shelf couplable to the levels, the load shelf comprising;

a panel defining an upper surface on which items can be placed; and

at least two support appendages arranged along respective edges of the panel, the support appendages hinged to the panel about respective axes disposed along the edges to rotate downwards from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position,

wherein in a raised panel position, with the support appendages in a horizontal position, a upper appendage surface of the appendages is substantially coplanar with the upper surface of the panel to rest on respective brackets of the luggage compartment.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least two support appendages are hinged to the panel about respective axes disposed along the edges to rotate downwards from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position to reduce a dimension of the load shelf.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the respective axes are parallel to the edges.

12. The system of claim 9, comprising a hand grip portion coupled to the shelf that a user can grasp to maneuver the load shelf in the luggage compartment.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the hand grip portion is to raise the load shelf in the luggage compartment.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the appendages are to rest freely on the brackets.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein, on each side panel, the brackets mutually define respective seats, with each seat being defined laterally by a vertical surface and superiorly by a deflecting surface that slopes downwards and outwards.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein a distance in a horizontal direction between the vertical surfaces of the two side panels is substantially equal to a width of the load shelf when the appendages are arranged in a horizontal position.

17. The system of claim 9, wherein a distance in the horizontal direction between a first inner edge of a first bracket of a first side panel and a second inner edge of a second bracket of a second side panel is greater than a width of the load shelf when the appendages are arranged in a substantially vertical position.

18. A system comprising:

a plurality of brackets arranged on side panels of a vehicle and defining a plurality of levels; and

a raisable load shelf couplable to the levels, the raisable load shelf to store luggage in the vehicle, the raisable load shelf defining an upper surface on which items can be placed;

a hand grip portion coupled to the load shelf that a user can grasp to raise or maneuver the load shelf in the luggage compartment; and

at least two support appendages arranged along respective edges of the panel;

wherein the support appendages are hinged to the panel about respective axes parallel to the edges to rotate downwards from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position in order to reduce a dimension of the load shelf, and wherein in the horizontal position, the appendages project horizontally with respect to the panel to rest on respective brackets of the luggage compartment.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the hand grip portion comprises a handle provided on the panel and arranged at the center of gravity of the load shelf.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein, on each side panel, the brackets mutually define respective seats, with each seat being defined laterally by a vertical surface and superiorly by a deflecting surface, which slopes downwards and outwards and wherein the distance in the horizontal direction between the vertical surfaces of the two side panels is substantially equal to the width of the load shelf when the appendages are arranged in a horizontal position.

21. A system comprising:

a plurality of brackets arranged on interior side panels of a vehicle and defining a plurality of levels; and

a raisable load shelf couplable to the levels, the load shelf comprising;

a panel defining an upper surface on which items can be placed; and

at least two support appendages arranged along respective edges of the panel, the support appendages hinged to the panel about respective axes disposed along the edges to rotate downwards from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position,

wherein in the horizontal position, the appendages project horizontally with respect to the panel to rest on the plurality brackets, and

wherein the at least two support appendages are hinged to the panel about respective axes disposed along the edges to rotate downwards from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position to reduce a dimension of the load shelf.

22. A system comprising:

a plurality of brackets arranged on interior side panels of a vehicle and defining a plurality of levels; and

a raisable load shelf couplable to the levels, the load shelf comprising;

a panel defining an upper surface on which items can be placed; and

at least two support appendages arranged along respective edges of the panel, the support appendages hinged to the panel about respective axes disposed along the edges to rotate downwards from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position,

wherein in the horizontal position, the appendages project horizontally with respect to the panel to rest on the plurality brackets, and

wherein the appendages are to rest freely on the brackets.

23. A system comprising:

a plurality of brackets arranged on interior side panels of a vehicle and defining a plurality of levels; and

a raisable load shelf couplable to the levels, the load shelf comprising;

a panel defining an upper surface on which items can be placed; and

at least two support appendages arranged along respective edges of the panel, the support appendages hinged to the panel about respective axes disposed along the edges to rotate downwards from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position,

wherein in the horizontal position, the appendages project horizontally with respect to the panel to rest on the plurality brackets, and

wherein, on each side panel, the brackets mutually define respective seats, with each seat being defined laterally by a vertical surface and superiorly by a deflecting surface that slopes downwards and outwards.

24. A system comprising:

a plurality of brackets arranged on interior side panels of a vehicle and defining a plurality of levels; and

a raisable load shelf couplable to the levels, the load shelf comprising;

a panel defining an upper surface on which items can be placed; and

at least two support appendages arranged along respective edges of the panel, the support appendages hinged to the panel about respective axes disposed along the edges to rotate downwards from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position,

wherein in the horizontal position, the appendages project horizontally with respect to the panel to rest on the plurality brackets, and

wherein a distance in a horizontal direction between the vertical surfaces of the two side panels is substantially equal to a width of the load shelf when the appendages are arranged in a horizontal position.

25. A system comprising:

a plurality of brackets arranged on interior side panels of a vehicle and defining a plurality of levels; and

a raisable load shelf couplable to the levels, the load shelf comprising;

a panel defining an upper surface on which items can be placed; and

at least two support appendages arranged along respective edges of the panel, the support appendages hinged to the panel about respective axes disposed along the edges to rotate downwards from a horizontal position to a substantially vertical position,

wherein in the horizontal position, the appendages project horizontally with respect to the panel to rest on the plurality brackets, and

wherein a distance in the horizontal direction between the inner edges of the brackets of the two side panels is greater than a width of the load shelf when the appendages are arranged in a substantially vertical position.